Please Ask!

We all post images to share it with others ... and, I guess, we assume or at least hope that our copyright is respected ... But what when you see your images being used without permission and without even the courtesy of any credit ???

Yes you guessed it ...
There are photographs produced by me being used ..
without permission ... And ... without credits!!!
I am livid !!!

Take this photo of Sears Tower .. I published long back on Jan 8, 2007.. click here ..

Now look at this blog .. "Archinomy" ... unabashedly using that image without seeking my authorization ... AND ... without even attributing any credit !!! .. The article published on June 18, 2008 ... click here ...

Two days back I noticed the same image being used in
the Chicago Tribune blog .. Cityscapes .. on June 24, 2009 ... click here ...
Well no permission was sought, although you will see the credit if you scroll down ... BUT that's an appendage, added after an email written ..

I got to confess that I was delighted to see a photo taken my me, in Blair Kamin's blog ... and was rather in a state of dual mind ... Should I be elated [for me, an honor!] .. or should I be mad [no permission & no recognition] ???

And after the credit was attached, I was again in a state of dual mind ... should I let-go .. or write about it ??? It's just a photo, an infinitesimally small part in an infinitely informative blog ... I got to admit, I've enjoyed reading and have learned a lot from Blair Kamin's articles in the Chicago Tribune newspaper, which we have been subscribing-to from ever since we came to America [and settled here in Chicago in 2001] ... Well without much brouhaha ... a small post was due, at least to get the matter out of my chest!

*** I regularly receive emails seeking permission to use my images, ... mostly by students and I have allowed almost all of them ... It feels good, when the images are used constructively ... So please feel free to ask! I do reply!

Grand Stairways - II

Grand Stairways - II ... Continued from the previous post ...
Click on any image for an enlarged view ...







[4] Grand Staircase at the Chicago Cultural Center ...
Architects: Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge ..
This elaborately carved marble staircase leads to the most gorgeous Preston Bradley Hall, with a 38-foot Tiffany dome ... But that's not to belittle the staircase which is a beauty in itself ...

For more images from the Chicago Cultural Center ... click here ..





[5] The Chicago Union Station ...
Architect: Graham, Anderson and Probst
The Chicago Union Station is one of the last of the grand American railway stations .. This staircase leads to the magnificent Great Hall ... The Chicago Union Station has featured in many movies, like "The Untouchables" and "My Best Friend's Wedding" ...

For more images of the "Grand Hall" of the Chicago Union Station ... click here ..





[6] Stairways at the outskirt of the John Hancock Center ...
Architect: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill

Although the iconic John Hancock Center deserves all the praises for it's architectural genius and the beautiful view it provide from the Observation Deck ... However I also love this stairways at it's outskirt ... On a hot summer day, it's a great place to relax!

To continue ...

Grand Stairways - I

I don't think it's too odd to say that I'm fascinated by stairways / staircases ... or simply put the stairs ... In this age of elevators and escalators, I get some joy in seeing aesthetically designed stairways ... be it the old fashioned ornate style or have the modern minimalist appeal ... So I thought about starting a series on the grand stairways ... I have no preset notion of how this series will develop ... but only know that it will include indoor & outdoor stairs ...

Click on any image for an enlarged view ...



[1] Staircase at the Museum of Contemporary Art [MCA] ...
Address: 220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Architect: Josef Paul Kleihues ..
This fish-eye / almond shaped staircase begins with a goldfish pond ...
The idea of staring the series came when I was looking at photographs for my post on MCA, so this deserves the first place there ... although the idea is not to rank them, but to illustrate the ones that I admire ...




[2] Staircase at the Rookery ..
Address: 209 South LaSalle Street
Architects: Burnham and Root in 1888
The lobby was remodeled in 1907 by Frank Lloyd Wright ..





Simply put this semi-circular staircase is awesome!!! I wish I could see it from upstairs, but visitors are not allowed ... so I have be to content with images taken in the lobby!
So who designed the semi-circular staircases???
Was it Burnham & Root firm or Frank Llyod Wright ???
I don't really know!!! .. Any information is welcome!





Although the semi-circular staircase is most famous, I also love this grand staircase with white marble with Persian-style ornamentation ... If I'm not mistaken this was designed by Frank Llyod Wright who designed the sky-lit light court ...



[3] The Grand Staircase at the Art Institute of Chicago ...
Architect: Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge ..
This beautiful staircase is so befitting to its location as it leads to the priceless pieces at the Art Institute ... It's grand, it's aesthetically pleasing and yet it's simple ... However, it's not the only staircase I love at the Institute ...
Here's another beautiful spiral staircase ...







And the Modern Wing, designed by Renzo Piano .. has this modern looking staircase ...

To continue ...

Fire Escapes - I

Fire Escapes - I
I've been fascinated by fire escapes ... Chicago with it's history with fires, has it's fair share of fire escapes, seen all over downtown ... But only on older buildings ... New ones have fire sprinklers ...

I'm starting two new series ...
# Grand Stairways
# Fire Escapes









Fire Escapes at the Donuhue Building ... built in 1913 ..
For more images of the Donohue Building .. click here ...

I tried to find out information on fire escape... but couldn't find much ..
Here's some information I did find
# Fire escape should be capable of holding the weight of the largest number of persons that could be on it at any time ..
# The access points to it [doors, windows] should not be blocked or locked in any why ..
# For ladders or stairs that store above the ground and descend when someone is on them, should have a clear landing point, and not be blocked with cars, dumpsters, or "temporary" storage of material ...

The Museum of Contemporary Art

Thge museum contains 45,000 square feet of gallery space as well as a sculpture garden and an auditorium.



The Museum of Contemporary Art ..
Address: 220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 ..
Neighborhood: Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area ..
Although museum opened in 1967, it has only been in its current location since 1996.
Architect: Josef Paul Kleihues from Berlin ..



The grand interior staircase which begins with a goldfish pond ..

The Bush Temple of Music

The Bush Temple of Music ..
Address: 100 W. Chicago Ave.
Year Built: 1901
Architect: J.E.O. Pridmore
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: June 27, 2001 ..



The Bush Temple of Music was built as the headquarters and showroom of the Bush and Gerts Piano Company, one of Chicago’s leading piano companies. The building exemplifies the importance of piano manufacturing and sales in Chicago during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Chicago was the leading piano manufacturing center in the world.

The building also is a rare large-scale example of French Renaissance Revival-style architecture, a highly unusual style in both Chicago and the United States.

The architect, J.E.O. Pridmore, was an important Chicago designer of buildings in the historic revival styles favored by Chicagoans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Marquette Building

Marquette Building ..
Address: 140 S. Dearborn St.
Year Built: 1895
Architect: Holabird & Roche
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: June 9, 1975 ..
It was a named a National Historic Landmark in 1978.

This is a classic example of the Chicago School of Architecture, with an open grid design which expresses the steel frame of the skyscraper. The architects, Holabird & Roche, used trademark long horizontal bay "Chicago windows" These are large panes of glass flanked by narrow sash windows. The grid-like window frames and spandrels are facilitated by the steel structure which enables non-load-bearing masonry walls. This was one of the first steel framed skyscrapers.

The building is named after Father Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary and the first European settler in Chicago, who explored the Chicago region in 1674 and wintered in the area for the 1674-75 winter season ..



The hexagonal lobby ...
The hexagonal lobby is heavily decorated with mosaics panels and bronze reliefs ...... These honor Jacques Marquette’s 1674-75 expedition ...
# The mosaic panels are by the Tiffany studio depicting events in the life of Jacques Marquette.
# Additional decoration includes bronze heads of native Americans, animals, and early explorers.
# The revolving door panels feature carvings of panther's heads.

















The revolving door panels feature carvings of panther's heads.







This bas relief is at the base of the door ...